Chaucer's Official Life

by James R. Hulbert

In connection with the Piers Plowman controversy, I have been struck with Mr. Jusserand's insistence that Chaucer did not touch upon social or political matters in his poems. That was, as Mr. Manly has indicated, very probably due to a theory of the proper subject matter of poetry-an idea current in his time and enunciated by Alan Cliartier most distinctly. But back of that may have been in Chaucer's case certain peculiar traits of character. Chaucer was in direct connection with the court and with the city at the time when political enmity between two main factions was very bitter-so bitter that in 1386 it led to the killing of Simon de Burley and Sir Nicholas Brembre as well as less-known men like Beauchamp and Salesbury and Berners, and to the flight of men like Michael de la Pole and Robert de Vere, and again in 1392 led to the execution of the Earl of Arundel, the murder of Gloucester, and almost to the murder of the Earl of Warwick. Chaucer was in daily contact with men connected with one faction or the other. What was his attitude? What party did he follow? I have tried to suppose that he was a member of the Gloucester or Lancaster faction but I have found facts such as his retention by Richard as controller of the customs from 1383-4 on, and his subsequent appointment to the clerkship of the works, that could scarcely have been brought about by Lancastrian influence. Then I have tried to use as a hypothesis the conception that he was a partisan of the King. But I have not been able to reconcile with that idea the fact that he had the grant of the annuity from John of Gaunt, that Henry IV in the year of his accession granted him an extra annuity of 40 marks in addition to the L20 which he confirmed to him, and that in 1395 or 1396 he seems to have been in the employment of either John of Gaunt or Henry, his son. Consequently it seems to me that Chaucer can not have been active in politics. At the very time when factional strife was waging about him he must have kept practically free from both parties. He seems to have had friends in both camps, though by far the greater number were in that of the King: Oto de Graunson-a member of John, of Gaunt's household-and in later years apparently Henry of Derby, represent the Lancastrian side; on the other hand, Louis Clifford, John Clanvowe, John Burley—men apparently attached to the Black Prince, his wife and his son,—Brembre and Philipot with whom he must have been on fairly good terms, and probably even Thomas Usk, were men strongly opposed to John Of Gaunt. Too many things connect Chaucer with both parties to make his identification with either possible. The reasons why Chaucer did not dabble pronouncedly in politics may have been various—a clear perception that such was the only safe course for him—an entire indifference and lack of understanding of politics—or what you will. At any rate his connection with both parties is certainly in consonance with the exclusion from his poetry of political matter of the kind which appears for example in Cower.

INDEX OF NAMES

Almannia, Henricus, (Almaigne),
Archebald, William,
Archer, Agnes,
Archer, Roger,
Alexandra de la Mote, wife of,
Armes, Richard des. See, Careswell, Richard de,
Barbour, Reynold (le),
Bardolf, Robert,
Bealknap, Robert,
Beauchamp, John,
Joan, wife of,
Beauchamp, Sir William de,
Berkeley, Sir Edward de,
Bernes, John de,
Beverle, John de,
Ahnicia, wife of,
Blacomore, William,
Bokenham, Simond de,
See Bukenham,
Matilda Gerounde, wife of,
Bonyngton, Roger,
Brembre, Nicholas,
Brenchesley, William,
Brokhill, Thomas,
Bukenham, Simon,
Bukton,
Burele, William de, (Burley),
Burgh, Simon,
Burley, Sir John de,
Burley, Simon de,
Byker, Patrick,
John,
William,
Cambridge,
See Edmund, Count of,
Careswell, Richard,
Careu, Nicholas, the elder,
the younger,
Cat, John,
Chambre, Griffith de la,
Cheyne, Hugh,
Joan, wife of,
Roger,
Thomas,
John,
William,
Chippenham, Walter,
Clanvowe, Sir John, (or Clanbrowe),
Clarence, see Lionel,
Countess of,
See Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster.
Clebury, Roger,
Clifford, Lewis de,
Clinton, John,
Clopton, Walter,
Clopton, William,
Cobeham, John de,
Conyngsby, John de,
Corby, Robert de,
Alice, wife of,
Cornewaill, Piers de,
Culpeper, Thomas,
Dabrichecourt, Collard, or, Nicholas,
Elizabeth, wife of,
Devereux, John
Edward, the Black Prince
Elizabeth, Countess of Ulster
Felbrigge, George
Margaret, wife of
Anne, wife of
Ferrers, Robert de
Elizabeth, wife of
Ferrour, Roger,
see Bonyngton, Roger
Fogg, Thomas
Forester, Richard
Foxle, Thomas
Fremingham, John
Frowick, Thomas
Gambon, William
Girdelere, Robert
Gisors, Henry
Goderik, John
Gosedene, John
Graunson, Oto de
Hannemere, David
Hauberk, Laurence
Hauteyn, Thomas
Herlyng, John de
Hermesthorpe, John
Hertfordyngbury, Thomas
Irlonde, Richard
Isabella, wife of Ingelram de Courcy
Joce, John
John of Gaunt
Knyveton, Rauf de
Lancaster, see John of Gaunt
Larderer, Robert see Maghfeld, Robert.
Leche, Richard see Irlonde, Richard.
Leget, Helmyng Edmund, Count of Cambridge
Alice, wife of
Legge, John Erchedeakne, Raulyn
Agnes, wife of
Lionel, duke of Clarence
Loath, Robert
Joan, wife of
Loveden, Thomas
Lyngeyn, Hugh
Agatha, wife of
Maghfeld, Robert
Mareschall, Roger
Markham, Richard
Narrett, Hanyn
Neuport, Reginald
Northbury, Richard
Northrilgg, John
Olney, John
Stephanetta, wife of
Organ, John
Padbury, John
Pekham, James de
Percy, Thomas de
Philipot, John
Pole, Michael de la
Prage, Nicholas
Preston, Piers
Alice, wife of
Richard II
Rikhill, William
Risceby, William de
Romesey, John de
Margaret, wife of
Romylowe, Stephen
Roos, John
Rose, Esmon
Agnes Archer, wife of
Salesbury, John de
Johanna, wife of
Scalby, John,
Scogan, Henry,
Souch, Robert la, see Zouche,
Spigurnell, Thomas,
Katherine, wife of,
Stanes, Thomas de,
Strelley, Hugh, (Straule),
Strete, William,
Joan wife of
Stucle, Geoffrey, (Styuecle),
Talbot, Gilbert
Tettesworth, Edmond de,
Thorpe, Johan de,
Tichemerssh, Johan, see Tyschemerssh
Mabel, wife of
Tipet, John,
Topclyf, William,
Torperle, Richard,
Margaret, wife of,
Tresihan, Robert,
Tyehemerssh, John de, see Tichemerssh
Tyndale, Andrew,
Ursewyk, Robert,
Usk, Thomas,
Vere, Robert de,
Vynour, Robert,
Waffrer, Richard, see Markham, Richard.
Wake, Hugh,
Joan wife of
Walssh, Wauter,
Walworth,
Warde, John,
Wbifrors, Walter
Wyght, Walter
Yardley, Adam,
Ybernia, Cornelius de,
York, William
Zouche, Robert la, See Souch.

End of Project Gutenberg's Chaucer's Official Life, by James Root Hulbert